Movie review: THE ISLAND

I’m not a fan of director Michael Bay especially — and I can’t say I particularly enjoyed Armageddon or even saw Pearl Harbor — but I do like his newest movie, The Island. Sure, it’s derivative of umpteen other sci-fi books and films, it offers few surprises, and there are gaping holes in its plot. But it’s glossy, lightweight fun. And once it’s on cable and DVD (which should be soon, since it’s tanking at the box office), I’m sure I’ll watch it several more times.

The movie’s about Lincoln Six-Echo (Ewan McGregor...y’know, the young Obi-Wan) and Jordan Two-Delta (gorgeous Scarlett Johansson), who live in a highly controlled, utopian facility, carefully guarded from a hopelessly contaminated Earth. In the mid-21st century, the last uncontaminated spot on the planet is The Island, and residents of the facility eagerly await their turns to win “the lottery” and be sent to that pastoral Shangri-La. Of course, Lincoln eventually discovers the truth behind his existence and learns that The Island is a big, fat lie. He and Jordan escape the facility and enter the Real World, where they’re ruthlessly hunted by the facility’s forces, a la Logan’s Run and THX-1138 and countless other films.

As I said before, there’s not too much that’s new in The Island. But the film does address some important ethical questions and does a fine job of dissecting the “risk-free” society that enemies of freedom continually offer us. The supporting cast is good, and it includes Sean Bean and the always-amusing Steve Buscemi. The action sequences are first-rate and mile-a-minute.

And did I mention that Scarlett Johansson stars in it?
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